Day-01
ARRIVE DELHI
Arrive Delhi by International flight. A
history which encompasses all the various kings and emperors who
fixed their royal citadels here-- Indraprastha, Lal Kot, Quila Rai
Pithora, Siri, Jahanpanah, Tughlakabad, Ferozabad, Dinpanah, Delhi
Sher Shahi or then Shahjahanabad. but, combined and integrated into
one, these 'new cities' have always been called Delhi and howsoever
many names it may have acquired, Delhi has always been intrinsically
identified with power and imperial sway. You will be met on your
arrival by the representative of Exotique Expeditions with fresh
flower garlands. You will then be transferred to your hotel.
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY-02 IN DELHI
This morning you will be given the city tour of Old and New Delhi.
Old Delhi. Visit the former centre of Moghul Power, Old Delhi offers
ancient monuments, narrow streets and bustling bazaars. Drive past
the vast Red Fort, built in 1648, the Jama Masjid, the greatest
mosque in India and completed in 1658 by Shah Jahan who also built
the Taj Mahal, and the Raj Ghat, the simple memorial to Mahatma
Gandhi. A unique experience of taking 'rickshaw ride' from the Red
Fort, through "Chandni Chowk" or Silver Street,
experiencing the sights and sounds of this very busy avenue heading
west from the Fort. Chandni Chowk - literally means "moonlit
crossroads" and an area which best represents the "super-Oriental"
- the glory and the guile; the grandeur and the grime, with its
crowded bazaars, twisting lanes, maze of small streets strange
aromas, the pungent odour of Oriental spices, the cries of
shopkeepers, coolies and "rickshaw-walas" and the clatter
and whirr of furious industry.
New Delhi - drive
past the stately government buildings of the British Era designed by
Lutyens, including the India Gate & the Presidential Palace.
Continue onto the beautiful Humayuns tomb of the Mughal era &
predecessor of the world famous Taj Mahal. End the tour at the
towering minaret of Qutab Minar Overnight at the hotel.
Day-03 DELHI - CORBETT TIGER SAFARI TOURS (275 Kms/172 Miles) Morning LEAVE
Delhi for Corbett by road. Corbett National Park, named after
legendary Jim Corbett. It is located at the foothills of the
Himalayas. Jim Corbett National Park India has always been famous
for their resident tigers. Initially this park was named as 'Hailey
National Park' in 1936, renamed in 1954-55 as 'Ramganga National
Park' . 1955-56 this park was again renamed as 'Jim Corbett National
Park' after Jim Corbett who hunted down tigers that had turned
man-eaters. Jim Corbett National Park India is the 1st and oldest
National Park of India. Jim Corbett National Park India was one of
the nine Tiger Reserves created at the launch of the Project Tiger
in 1973.
Day-04 CORBETT This morning
and evening you will be given the game viewing by Jeeps/elephant
back.
Day-05 CORBETT-AGRA (260 kms/163 Miles)
Morning leave Corbett for Agra by road. Agra, the name
brings to our mind superb monuments including the magnificent Taj
which is one of the seven wonders of the world. Agra is the symbol
of a bygone era. The era, when the Mughals ruled India. As a
reminder of their glorious past they have left behind some beautiful
monuments. The one and the only Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Jehangir's
Palace. The list of the monuments is endless. If we could push these
great monuments away from our minds, then Agra is just like any
other city. Arrive Agra and check in at the hotel.
Day-06 AGRA
Today you will be given the tour of Fatehpur
Sikri and Agra city.
Fatehpur Sikri - Impressive
sandstone fortress of Fatehpur Sikri. The fort was built in the 16th
century and only occupied for a few years before being abandoned,
leaving the buildings in virtually perfect conditions. Continue
drive to Agra. Upon arrival in Agra - check-in at the hotel.
Thereafter, visit the Red Fort, which was built by Akbar as his
citadel over the years 1563-73 in the finest architectural style.
Red Fort - lies on the bend of the river Yamuna,
almost in the heart of the town. Akbar built it as his citadel over
the years 1563-73 in the finest architectural style. It has imposing
gates and walls of red sandstone and a moat. Taj Mahal……
Little needs to be said about this architectural wonder which is
always the soul raison-de-etre for every tourist's visit to Agra.
Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to his
beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. This monument took 22 years to be
completed and was designed and planned by Persian architect Ustad
Isa. Apart from it's stunning design balance and perfect symmetry,
the Taj is also noted particularly for its elegant domes,
intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work ever
seen.
Day-07 AGRA - JHANSI (train) - KHAJURAHO TEMPLE TOURS
Transfer to the railway station in time to connect train for Jhansi.
In Jhansi, you will be met by the representative of Exotique
Expeditions and transferred to Khajuraho. The name Khajuraho derives
from the khajur or date palm trees that once surrounded the huge
Khajurvahaka Tal. Khajuraho, once the great Chandela capital, is
today a village of about a few thousand people in the interiors of
central India, in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Tradition
records the existence of eighty five temples, of which only twenty
five, strewn amidst lakes and fields, have survived. The temples at
Khajuraho, brilliant examples of medieval Indian architecture, were
built under later Chandela kings between AD 950 and AD 1050. Each
ancient structure in India has a fascinating story to tell. But few
match the temples of Khajuraho.
Arrive Khajuraho and
check in at the hotel.
Later visit the world famous
Chandela Temples. Out of the total 85 temples only 22 remain, but
offer a beautiful and extravagant ode to human life. Built in 10th
and 11th centuries, these temples are dedicated to a particular
deity and the on the outer walls are carved various themes, but
actually it is an ode to woman hood, an ode to fertility, the form
of birth and an ode to greatest form of life.
Of the
two groups of temples - Western and Eastern - important temples to
visit are - Kandariya Mahadev, Chaunsath Yogini, Chitragupta,
Lakshmana, Devi Jagdamba, Parvati, Vishvanath Temple and Nandi,
Paraswanath and Adinath.
Day-08
KHAJURAHO-BANDHAVGARH (195 Kms/122 Miles) Leave Khajuraho
for Bandhavgarh.
Bandhavgarh - is a small National
Park; compact, yet full of game. The density of the Tiger population
at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India. This is also White
Tiger country. These have been found in the old state of Rewa for
many years. The last known was captured by Maharajah Martand Singh
in 1951. This White Tiger, Mohan, is now stuffed and on display in
the palace of the Maharajahs of Rewa.
Day 09
BANDHAVGARH WILDLIFE SAFARI TOURS The day is dedicated to take safaris in the
reserve with a naturalist, Morning and evening game viewing at the
park.
Day-10 BANDHAVGARH- KANHA WILDLIFE SAFARI (190 Kms/119
Miles) Morning Leave Bandhavgarh for Kanha.
Romanticised by Kipling in his book, Kanha National Park is among
the most spectacular, protected wildlife reserves of the world. The
1,945 sq. km National Park has been compared to N'Gorongoro National
Park of Tanzania. However like its African cousin, Kanha National
Park is not a volcanic crater though the surrounding hills are a
result of geographically ancient volcanic activity.
Above all Kanha National Park is far greener and more densely wooded
than N'Gorongoro. It is one of the largest and best monitored Parks
in the subcontinent and definitely one of the best places in the
world to see the critically endangered tiger in the wild.
Day-11 KANHA The day is dedicated to take safaris in the
reserve with a naturalist, Morning and evening game viewing at the
park.
Day-12 KANHA-NAGPUR Leave Kanha
for Nagpur by road. Arrive Nagpur and check in at the hotel.
Day-13 NAGPUR-DELHI Transfer to the airport in time to
connect flight for Delhi.
Day-14 DEPART DELHI
You will be met by the representative of Exotique Expeditions at the
hotel and transferred to the airport, in time to connect your onward
flight.
